Here’s how Workruit, the Tinder for jobs, is working to make hiring hassle-free

Like? Swipe right. Don’t like? Swipe left. Location-based social search app Tinder made meeting people easy as pie. Manikanth Challa, 26, a graduate of Penn State University, wondered if the same idea could be applied to recruitment and launched mobile recruiting platform Workruit in May 2017.

The startup uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to connect job-seekers and recruiters instantly. All it takes is a right swipe.

Manikanth, the Founder of Workruit, says Tinder inspired him to “come up with Workruit's core idea. It makes it so simple for one person to meet another with similar interests; finding talent should be that simple”.

Finding the right fit

Manikanth says he had seen friends apply for jobs from the perspective of just getting a job “rather than paying attention to their personal strengths and where they belong”.

“Workruit's core idea is to help people find jobs that are relevant to their strengths and profile,” he says.

The founder has a background in User Experience and User Interface. “I learnt about algorithms and workings of a mobile app interface when I was working with startups in different areas of business,” he says.

Manikanth has worked with several startups and VC firms in New York and San Francisco. He was the lead, mobile designers, at Silicon Valley-based LotusFlare; head of design at Trusto; a design consultant at talent acquisition firm TwentyPine; and IT programmer analyst and business analyst at FedEx Services.

"After gaining experience by working with a few dynamic startups, I decided to move back home and create a talent-sourcing platform that would connect young employees and employers,” Manikanth adds. He bootstrapped the company, but did not wish to divulge investment details.

Initially, Manikanth faced challenges in finding the right resources and building the team.

“I hired part-time consultants who guided me with the technological elements of the new-age hiring app. Eventually, the team grew with requirements,” he says.

Workruit, which operates from Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam, now has a team of more than 10 people. The tech team together has more than 20 years of experience in mobile, server, AI, ML, and chatbot frameworks.

Also read: Top 25 Job Portals to Hire Blue-Collar Employees in India

How Workruit works

Workruit comes as an Android, iOS, and web application. Any job-seeker or recruiter can register on the platform for free. Once a job is posted, the AI-enabled algorithm curates relevant profiles of job-seekers for recruiters and vice-versa.

Both parties can swipe right to like a job opening or job-seeker's profile, or swipe left in case they don’t. If both swipe right and it’s a “match”, they can connect via Workruit's in-app messenger and take the conversation to the next level. The end-to-end platform also lets employees schedule interviews, doing away with the need to call applicants or send them emails. Multiple job postings are possible through a single profile.

Workruit showcases job offerings for marketing, tech, advertising, software, ecommerce, consumer services, food and beverages, healthcare, and consulting sectors, among others. It claims to get an average of 35 matches each day at present, but is not tracking how many employees are placed as of now.

Companies that have signed up with Workruit to get the right talent fit include Cipla, FedEx, Quikr, Swiggy, Paytm, Deloitte, Apollo Hospitals, Uber, Zomato, and DarwinBox.

Manikanth says  Workruit currently has more than 50,000 job-seekers and more than 1,500 recruiters on its platform. It has also collaborated with the government of Andhra Pradesh to launch Workruit.ap, a recruiting application exclusively for the people of Andhra Pradesh.

Jobs market overview

The jobs market is at the core of every country’s development and progress. According to the World Bank, job creation “will be the key factor for developing countries to reduce poverty, improve people's lives, and reach the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030".

While India debates whether the present government has actually made more jobs available, global human resources consulting firm Randstad has said that the Indian jobs market “will see robust growth in 2019”. Factors like ease of doing business, steady growth of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and revival in the IT sector are said to be driving this growth.

While platforms like LinkedIn and Naukri.com have been there for quite some time, startups like Eazyhire, HiringMonk, Belong, and MeraJob have also joined the list of recruitment startups. But Manikanth believes that the use of AI and algorithms sets Workruit apart, and helps them find the right talent for every job.

An eye on the future

Workruit works on a B2B2C model, and is currently free for employers and job-seekers. However, Manikanth plans to launch premium services soon.

“At the moment, we are more focused on growth and building trust,” he says.

Starting May, the company is hoping to start its revenue streams, via the premium services. Available across India, Workruit is planning to get more companies on-board and develop the existing application. “We will be adding more features to further bridge the gap between job-seekers and employers,” Manikanth says.

Also read: How to stay relevant in the Indian IT job market